August 15, 2011, 10:14AM

HARVEST, Alabama - Nationally known Indian classical dancers Shalini Patnaik and Amulya Balabantaray help celebrate the 64th anniversary of India's independence at the Hindu Cultural Center of North Alabama in Harvest, Sunday August 14, 2011. (The Huntsville Times/Glenn Baeske)

July 04, 2010, 5:35AM

Happy Independence Day. Today's Press-Register editorial: Despite the spill, there's much to celebrate ON THIS atypical Fourth of July, it would be all too easy for Gulf Coast residents to dwell on what makes this year's holiday so unusual: the BP oil spill. Instead of looking at the usual crowded beaches and overflowing hotels, we're celebrating our nation's independence... Full story »

March 30, 2010, 6:00AM

Hooo boy. Here we go again, maybe. Fresh from a broken heart in the tanker war, Mobile has another dog in another fight.Austal's LCS, the USS "Independence" is going up against Lockheed Martin's USS "Freedom" in a fight for the Navy's affections. And money. The Independence is an amazing ship, tricked out in all the state of the art... Full story »

February 12, 2010, 9:43PM

Video of me performing Battle Hymn Of The Republic, My Country Tis Of Thee, and Wedding Day At Troldhaugen. I play the Organ and Piano. Performance took place in Jasper, Alabama (@ St. Mary's Episcopal Church.) Be nice to me, people. lol. I've only been playing these pieces for a little while, but my teacher made me play them for memory.. so you may hear a few sour notes.

January 13, 2010, 4:30PM

MOBILE, Ala. -- The littoral combat ship Independence being christened Saturday in Mobile is so different from other Navy ships that its crew members have been inventing their own new set of practices to drive their ship, the Navy Times reports. Full story »

December 29, 2009, 10:01AM

The Navy pays for the ceremony itself, while donations pay for receptions, gifts and special celebrations leading up to the event that could cost upwards of $400,000, according to the committee putting the event together in Mobile. Full story »

December 10, 2009, 7:01AM

Austal USA's version of the littoral combat ship has an equal shot in a winner-take-all competition even though it will have seen less service than a rival model commissioned last year, Navy leaders told reporters Wednesday. Full story »

November 20, 2009, 8:24AM

MOBILE, Ala. -- The littoral combat ship Independence this week successfully completed acceptance trials, the last set of tests before the vessel is handed over to the U.S. Navy, the Navy said Thursday. Full story »

November 13, 2009, 1:18PM

Acceptance trials for the Mobile-built littoral combat ship Independence started Friday and are set to run a week, according to Cmdr. Curt Renshaw, one of the warship's two commanding officers. The vessel will spend about two days, including Friday, at sea, with the remainder of the trials taking place dockside at Austal USA, he said. Full story »

October 28, 2009, 7:20AM

FALLS CHURCH, Va. -- General Dynamics says third-quarter earnings sank nearly 10 percent hurt by weak demand for business jets, but sales in its defense-related segments grew allowing the military contractor to boost its profit outlook for the year. Full story »

October 14, 2009, 4:50PM

The littoral combat ship Freedom will start operating in early 2010, rather than the original deployment date of 2012, to "close urgent warfighting gaps," U.S. Navy officials announced on Tuesday. Full story »

October 06, 2009, 6:00AM

General Dynamics successfully tested the engines on Independence in June, and said then it could deliver the ship to the U.S. Navy in September. But builder's trials -- when a manufacturer first takes a vessel to sea -- revealed problems that have the ship still dockside at Austal's facility on the Mobile River. Full story »

August 05, 2009, 2:26PM

The ship reached its top speed of nearly 50 mph at less than full power, according to General Dynamics Corp., which is leading a team that includes Mobile's Austal shipyard that is competing to build at least 55 of the new highly maneuverable, shallow water warships. The builder's trials, during which the shipbuilders test the ship's systems before Navy inspectors come onboard, are still under way dockside at Austal. Full story »

July 29, 2009, 12:11PM

General Dynamics Corp.'s second-quarter earnings edged down 3.6 percent from results that included one-time gains a year ago, but the defense contractor's profits still surpassed Wall Street expectations. Full story »